We are real life friends and self-proclaimed foodies. We share a passion for good food made with fresh ingredients. We love to cook, bake, entertain, and create. Welcome to our corner of the web – we hope you stay awhile and we hope you visit again.
Alaina
Alaina is a wife and mother of three boys. She learned to cook at a very young age but developed a real love and passion for food when working at a living history museum and cooking on a hearth. She comes from a family that enjoys food and celebrating around the table.
Opening a small restaurant, being a food critic, writing cookbooks, and creating a state-of-the-art home kitchen are a few of Alaina’s culinary dreams. In the mean time, she enjoys cultivating discerning palates in her three young sons, creating recipes, reading cookbooks and food memoirs, and entertaining.
Her other interests include spending time with her husband, playing with her kids, playing fantasy football, knitting, watching movies, and making memories with her family.
Heather
Heather is a wife and mother of four children. Her love of food and cooking began at a young age, immersed in an extended family that made food a central part of family gatherings, whether simple or gourmet.
As a young mother, with little time for other pursuits, cooking and baking became Heather’s main creative outlet. She loves to try new foods, experiment, and read about cooking in other parts of the world.
When not in the kitchen, Heather can be found homeschooling her children, doing housework, reading, knitting, sewing, or talking to her husband.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF ASHLEY A. JUDD
The Cooks Next Door
Heather
Alaina
I had such a great time getting to know you both by reading your blog! Your recipes look great, I would like to add you to our blog role? thankyou Pam Powell
Hi Heather,
Mum (Sue) remembers your cooking when you were 15 years old whilst you were in Uganda with your parents and when all the pastors used to come at 6:00 p.m, just as your family was sitting down to eat! We can see that this helped you cook for large numbers of people, especially for those who were unexpected! Your food blog is beautiful; gorgeous photos & delicious recipes =) I’m an aspiring chef (nearly 15!) hoping to go to culinary college in the future and cooking almost every day for our family of five. Your recipes spark off dinner ideas and plans for offerings for youth group & church (I’ve got my eye on Alaina’s Orange Brownies!). Give my love to your family.
Thanks again!
Hannah
Just want to say your article is striking. The lucidity in your post is simply spectacular and i can take for granted you are an expert on this subject. Well with your permission allow me to grab your rss feed to keep up to date with future post. Thanks a million and please keep up the admirable work
Heather and Alaina,
Wow! What an awesome blog. I was drawn to the Market Fresh and Weekend Fare categories with all of the “yummy” dishes there. Would you consider creating an International category? (Thai, Korean, sushi, others) Thanks!
Love the pics! It’s great to meet the “other” cook (virtually) next door.
Thank you for starting this blog. I am excited to read it!!! You both are wonderful cooks and I look forward to seeing alot more ideas to try.
Great project ladies!!! I look forward to more. I had to laugh at the pictures, though. The clean kitchen with clean aprons is NOT the scene I walked in on the other day. Give us the real deal!!